Macalester vs Augsburg 1-18-17

Made the run over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg College on this Wednesday night to take in an important clash of two teams hoping to get things turned around so they can be factors in the MIAC playoff race as Macalester made the short hop over from St. Paul to take on host Augsburg.  The Scots were coming off a big home win over Hamline that improved their record to 9-6 overall and 3-5 in the MIAC while the Auggies were looking to snap a four-game losing streak.

Things were tight in the early going as each side traded one-point leads in the opening minutes but Macalester was first in opening up a bit of a cushion.  Leading 5-4 after a short shot from the left side by senior guard Lauren Clamage at the 6:57 mark, junior post Regan Fruh was able to connect with a short shot off the glass at the 6:35 mark and, after a foiled Auggie possession, the Scots went to Fruh again on their next possession and she responded with a score in the paint that made it 9-4 and Augsburg Head Coach Ted Riverso promptly called a thirty-second timeout to figure out a way to have his team deny that inside presence Fruh was getting.  Still, another Fruh score; a lay-up at the 5:08 mark maintained that five-point edge at 11-6 before Augsburg could get things rolling a bit.  One free throw by freshman reserve forward Camryn Speese with 4:50 left and two more by fellow freshman guard K'Aezha Wubben with 4:13 left had the Auggies back to within a single possession trailing 11-9 and a Wubben lay-up in transition with 3:23 left knotted the score at 11-all.  Then it was Wubben completing this 7-0 push with a jumper from the top of the key with 2:52 left that gave Augsburg a 13-11 lead before the Scots could recover enough to tie the game at 13 a piece on a pretty drive along the left baseline and finish by freshman reserve guard Tyana Loiselle with 2:31 left.  But the Auggies would go on a 6-0 push to end the first period.  A "3" from the right wing area by freshman reserve forward Abby Jordan with 2:07 left and a lay-up by strong freshman guard Tamira McLemore with 1:38 left made it an 18-13 game and a McLemore freebie with :58.5 left in the period capped this push that allowed Augsburg to take a 19-13 advantage going into the second period.

The Auggies initially maintained that six-point edge in the early moments of the second period as a score in the paint by McLemore at the 8:21 mark had Augsburg up 21-15.  But the Scots craftily put together a 7-0 run that allowed them to poke their nose out in front.  One free throw by senior forward Park Masterson at the 8:05 mark and a lay-up in transition by Clamage at the 7:38 mark got Macalester back to within a single possession trailing 21-18.  A jumper from the right elbow area by freshman reserve guard Holly Hull at the 6:57 mark and a Clamage lay-up at the 6:28 mark now put the Scots up 22-21 and Augsburg's Riverso was clamoring for another thirty-second timeout.  That short stoppage in play seemed to re-energize the Auggies as they turned things around with an 11-0 run.  Freshman guard Ari Jones drained a "3" from the right top area at the 6:06 mark got Augsburg back out in front 24-22 and a McLemore drive and finish off of an inbounds pass with 4:36 left expanded the lead to 26-22.  McLemore would score on another hard drive and finish with 3:41 left and a lay-up in transition by Wubben with 3:24 left got the lead to eight at 30-22.  Then it was McLemore muscling into the paint to snare an offensive rebound of her own miss with 2:10 left for a putback that gave the Auggies their first double-digit advantage at 32-22 and now Macalester Head Coach Kelly Roysland was calling a thirty-second timeout of her own in hopes of reversing this trend just before the half.  To their credit, the Scots embarked on a 6-3 push down the home stretch that at least got the deficit manageable again.  Clamage knocked down a short jumper with 1:55 left and a short jumper off the glass by junior guard Vivi Gregorich with 1:23 left cut the deficit down to six at 32-26.  Augsburg momentarily stopped this momentum as Jordan uncorked her second trey of the evening - this one from the left wing area with 1:04 left - but Fruh helped Macalester tally the last points of this unpredictable first half with her offensive rebound and putback with :18 left that at least kept things manageable for the Scots going into the locker room down 35-28.  While having the lead going into the halftime had to be pleasing for Augsburg's Riverso, there were some troubling numbers looking at the first half box score.  The one item that stood out like a sore thumb for the Auggies was that they shot only 4-13 from the charity stripe for only 30.8% and left countless other short shots and "bunnies" on the table that would have easily expanded their lead.  Then again, Macalester wasn't much better from the line as they shot only 2-6 for 33.3% and their FG shooting wasn't much to write home about either as they went 13-36 for 36.1%.  The Scots did, however, hold a 26-21 edge on the boards thanks in large part to Fruh with her nine rebounds alone in the first half.

Augsburg managed to maintain a six-to-eight point edge in the early moments of the third period as one Wubben freebie at the 9:20 mark and an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss by McLemore at the 7:40 mark had the Auggies up 38-30 and two more Wubben free throws at the 7:07 mark helped maintain the status quo with a 40-32 advantage.  Once again, however, Macalester slyly whittled away at the cushion and was able to poke its nose out in front again.  Masterson got into the paint for one score at the 6:49 mark and then Gregorich; the Scots primary weapon from behind the arc, finally found her touch from the right top area at the 6:01 mark that got Macalester back to within a single possession trailing 40-37.  Then it was Gregorich striking again with a pull-up jumper in transition at the 5:36 mark that cut the deficit down to a scant point at 40-39 and a Clamage jumper from the left corner just inside the arc at the 5:04 mark capped this unlikely 9-0 push that thrust the Scots out in front 41-40.  Augsburg woke up a bit at that point as freshman reserve guard Aiza Wilson got a lay-up after a steal with 3:17 left and one free throw by junior forward Hannah Steinhaus with 2:20 left had the Auggies back up 43-41 but Macalester was able to steal the lead one more time on a 4-0 push as a Gregorich lay-up with 2:09 left and two Fruh free throws with 1:27 left gave the Scots a 45-43 advantage.  But the Auggies were able to go on a 6-1 venture to end the third period.  Dialing up some defensive pressure, McLemore snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up with 1:00 left and two free throws by Wubben who was fouled in a transition opportunity with :28.8 left had Augsburg back out in front 47-45.  Just before the buzzer, Steinhaus grabbed a long offensive rebound and put up a delicate shot that found its mark with just :00.7 left that had the Auggies up 49-46 going into the fourth period.

Macalester looked as if it was ready to sneak back out in front again in the early moments of the fourth and final period.  One Fruh score in the paint at the 9:39 mark kept the Scots within a single possession trailing 51-48 as did a Clamage jumper along the left baseline at the 8:57 mark that had Macalester trailing 53-50.  After a foiled Auggie possession, Fruh was able to get down low for one more score that now had the Scots down a tantalizing single point at 53-52 and a Loiselle score in the paint at the 7:49 mark had Macalester right there trailing 55-54.  But much to Roysland's dismay, this is where Augsburg shut the door for good on any Scot comeback attempt.  Junior forward Bridget Bednar snared an offensive rebound and putback at the 6:28 mark and then Steinhaus got into the paint for a score at the 5:13 mark that also drew a foul and the "and one" now gave the Auggies a bit of a safety net with a 60-54 lead.  A McLemore "3" from the right wing area with 4:31 left added more breathing room with a 63-54 lead and although Clamage finally stopped some of the bleeding for Macalester with her jumper from the top of the key with 4:18 left, Roysland knew her squad was in trouble and called a timeout to try and find some way out of this mess.  Another McLemore "3" - this one from the right wing area with 3:25 left - now gave the Auggies a ten-point cushion at 66-56. Macalester would make one more foray into single-digit range as a Fruh lay-up with 3:12 left and a Gregorich "3" from the right top area reduced the Auggie lead down to 68-61 and a "3" from the right wing area by freshman reserve guard Holly Hull with 2:00 left provided perhaps a sliver of hope trailing 70-64 but McLemore was able to add insurance to Augsburg's lead with her drive and finish with 1:41 left that also drew a foul and sent the former Eagan standout to the line for the obligatory free throw and a 73-64 lead.  McLemore, Speese and Steinhaus all added free throws in the last 1:25 seconds that gave the Auggies there first win of 2017 by a count of 76-64.

A disappointed Roysland attributed the downfall of her squad on this night to "mental mistakes" and although they had their moments on this night it definitely appeared that they high-pressure Auggie defense took its toll down the stretch.  Augsburg's Riverso; while happy with the win, was guarded in his outlook for the rest of the season.  He noted that, during this skid, they played some very good teams with the likes of GAC, Bethel and SMU and called the loss to St. Olaf last Saturday a hiccup for his squad.  He admits that his team is still a work in progress with all the youth and inexperience but at the same time is hopeful that the things that helped Augsburg on this night will pay dividends in the future.  "Our defense is going to be our calling card" he said.  And no doubt they could use more big nights from McLemore who led all scorers on this night with her monstrous 31 points.  Wubben added 15 points on this night and Steinhaus came up big in the second half when they needed her and she added 13 points.  Macalester was paced by Fruh's "double-double" of 19 points and 11 boards while the ever-improving Clamage chipped in with 14 points and Gregorich added 12 points.  That half- and full-court pressure that the Auggies employ had to be a sore spot for Roysland as her squad was guilty of 22 turnovers although Macalester did have a slight 45-42 edge on the boards for this game thanks largely in part to Fruh.